May in the Museum

May in the Museum

The next two weeks are going to be very busy for the museum staff, getting prepared for our Accreditation Inspection on Sunday, May 16^th.  A great deal of work has been done over the last couple of years in preparation for this visit – a great deal of paper-work, courses to attend, the museum building to furnish with regards to heating and humidity control, display cases to fit out and lots more besides.

Notices will be going up this weekend asking members for their cooperation in keeping the Heritage Centre clean and tidy – over the last few weeks it has been a pleasure to open up each Sunday after the last shunt around – now there is just a bit of dusting to do!

Visitor numbers are now being recorded, our busiest so far being 440 on the Sunday of the Classis & Vintage Transport Show.   The Easter Weekend brought in 200/300 on the Sunday and Monday.  With easy access the over the crossing and through the side shutter door, coupled with signs being displayed each week more visitors are finding their way into the Heritage Centre and Museum, hopefully making the remark ‘I didn’t know this was here’ a thing of the past!

Over the next few weeks I hope to carry on with the series of posts about the early days of Chasewater Railway, and also include articles about branch lines and ‘Steam Locomotives of a Leisurely Era’.  I’m enjoying going through our old magazines and finding out what used to be here, although they can be a little hard work when all you get is ‘we need more money and people’ true as it may have been then (and we could still do with more of both now!).